We need to give ourselves a little grace

I follow a lot of teachers, occupational therapists, administrators, and entrepreneurs on social media.  You find your people, right?  All these people are in professions where we had to pivot and reinvent the wheel months ago, and honestly, we are still building the plane as we are flying it.  There have been so many times in the last month that I felt like I was not living up to my standards in doing my job - as a mom, as a teacher, as a business owner.  I know there are other people out there that are feeling that same way.  I can feel the stress in the classroom from my students as we are all trying our hardest to stay safe and stay open.  I feel the stress from my colleagues as we navigate a new normal in instructional delivery.  I feel the stress with my husband as our typical means of reaching customers has been limited.  I feel the stress from my son who is going to school and learning in a COVID restrained environment.  We are all stressed.

Even in all this, I have found glimpses of positivity and energy, like from our friend, Jon Box and @theboxstreetwear, and it helps me to keep taking steps forward.  Now I know that I have seen people talk about how they don't want to hear any more "toxic positivity" from anyone.  I read posts about how they are struggling and they don't want to see any messages of how things will get better.  I get it.  When you are stuck in a hole, you don't necessarily want to see people around you with shovels having a party and digging themselves out.  I get it.  My intent is not to shove positivity down anyone's throat.  My intent is to let you know that I get it, I understand, I have felt the same way, and let me try to help you feel different.  As Merideth Grey from Grey's Anatomy would say, "If you need a twisted sister, I'm here for you."  And I am. But we all need a plan and a path to get ourselves out eventually.  And I want to help be that path. 

We all need to give ourselves a little grace and understanding.  We need to give ourselves a gosh darn break.  We are doing the best we can and that's enough.  Once I let myself believe that, I was able to move forward and begin to change my mindset.  I accepted that maybe yesterday or the day before was not perfect, but I was going to move on and move forward and do something differently the next day to change.  And honestly, it would be very easy for me to stay negative, however, I chose to read, watch, and absorb the positive messages that people are putting out and allow them to affect me for the better.  I can be exhausted, stressed, angry, frustrated, all that, but I can also have a positive and compassionate mindset at the same time, and let THAT drive my actions forward. 

My son love TikTok, and he loves making videos with me.  I month ago I posted a video we made and I recently posted another one that had a positive mindset message.  I figure, make a video with a cute kid, and people will watch it, right?  Anyways, it was a video trend that was originally created by @jt_laybourne.  My son and I recreated it and I made it about a message to our teachers, parents, students, and children to say that we are all going through tough times, but we can all get through it together.  It's ok to not always be ok.  But when you need help, lean in and take it.  I am taking this all one day at a time and learning to be ok that it  - my teaching, my classes, my house (you should see the pile of dishes in the sink and baskets of clothes that need folded) is not the same as what it used to be.  But I am determined to come out of this better than when I started.  I hope that you can find your determination to keep going, too.  Don't be afraid to reach out to others in your life to help give you a little push in the right direction.   Till next time - here is another positive video from @jt_laybourne to keep you going.

Nancy

Creator, Effortless Art Crayons

Co-Owner, Two Sparrows LS 

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